Generally, industrial robots whose axes are controlled by electric motors actuate arms under loads via gears of a harmonic drive or the like having a large speed reduction ratio in order to compensate for a power shortage of the electric motors and minimize the effect of disturbing forces from the loads. Because of the intermediary gears with the large speed reduction ratio, mechanical interference between control axes has heretofore not posed significant problems. However, recent growing demands for high-speed and high-precision robot operation focus on problems caused by a mechanical effect that cannot be compensate for by a PI (proportional plus integral) control process and disturbance that cannot be ignored even though the arm is actuated with the high speed reduction ratio.
The present applicant has already proposed an invention disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent application No. Hei 9-222910 (JP, A, 09222910), relating to a method of suppressing vibrations due to axis interference in a multiaxial robot with a mechanism having spring elements such as speed reducers between electric motors of respective axes and robot arms. According to the invention disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent application No. Hei 9-222910, state observers associated with the axes of the multiaxial robot predict torsion angles between the electric motors and loads, and interfering forces are calculated using the predicted torsion angles. Based on the interfering forces, corrective torques are determined, added to the torques of the electric motors, and outputted.
In the control method disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent application No. Hei 9-222910, however, the values of the torsion angles predicted by the state observers are differentiated to calculate the corrective torques. Therefore, noise tends to be introduced into the corrective torques, causing the electric motors to produce high-frequency vibrations and large sounds in operation.